Paula Abdul’s Lawsuit Against Nigel Lythgoe: Everything We Know

has filed a lawsuit against former and producer claiming that he sexually assaulted her. In addition to two alleged incidents, Abdul, 61, also claimed that she was a victim of verbal harassment and bullying from Lythgoe, 74. The producer has denied the allegations. The lawsuit was filed as part of California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which allowed victims to file lawsuits even after the statute of limitations had run out, by December 31, 2023, per Find out everything you need to know about the singer’s lawsuit here.

In the lawsuit, Abdul alleged that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her on two occasions. The “Straight Up” singer claimed that the first instance was during early seasons. Abdul said that Lythgoe had “shoved [her] against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat” while they were in an elevator, per She said after the incident, she told her reps, but she didn’t seek any action out of fear of losing her job on The second time that Abdul accused him of sexual assault was when she was a judge on She said that he had invited her to his home for dinner, and she accepted, assuming that it was a professional meeting.

She said that he forced himself on top of her and tried to kiss her, before she pushed him off her and left his house. “For years, Abdul has remained silent about the sexual assaults and harassment she experienced on account of Lythgoe due to fear of speaking out against one of the most well known producers of television competition shows who could easily break her career as a television personality and of being ostracized and blackballed by an industry that had a pattern of protecting powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual assault and harassment,” the lawsuit said, according to In addition to the sexual assault allegations, she also accused him of verbal harassment and bullying.

She also claimed that she was paid less than the male judges and host of the show. She also claimed to have seen him sexually assaulting her assistant by pinning her against a wall and groping her in 2015. After Abdul’s lawsuit, Lythgoe released a statement, denying the allegations. “To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement.

For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear – and entirely platonic – friends and colleagues,” he said. The producer continued and said that he’d fight the allegations. “Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for,” he said.

“While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.” In addition to the lawsuit against Lythgoe, Abdul has also filed lawsuits against the production companies for and She cited negligence as the reason, according to.